State Senator David Schapira Jumps Into District 9 Congressional Race

​As predicted, former state Senator Kyrsten Sinema's not the only Democrat with her eye on Arizona's new Congressional seat -- this morning, state Senate Minority Leader David Schapira announced that he, too, will run in Arizona's newly formed 9th Congressional district.

Schapira's announcement isn't exactly a surprise to those familiar with Valley politics -- he formed an exploratory committee for a potential run in November, and rumors of his entering the race have been floating around for months.

"The residents of this community are on the front lines of turning our economy around. They deserve a representative who will fight every day to create jobs and uphold their values," Schapira says in a press release announcing his candidacy. "This new district represents an opportunity to send Washington a message that education and jobs should be at the forefront of the national agenda."

Also as predicted, it doesn't appear that Schapira will give up his Senate seat to run for Congress, which he's not required to do because he's in the final year of his term (Arizona's "resign to run" law allows candidates to keep their current gig as long as they're in the last year of their term).

Also rumored to be considering a run for the seat is Arizona Democratic Party Chairman Andrei Cherny.

Congressman Ben Quayle, a Republican, currently lives in what is now District 9. However, thanks to the new Congressional district map, about 63-percent of Quayle's current district now falls in District 6 -- where Republican Congressman David Schweikert plans to run -- according to the Arizona Republic's analysis of the new map. Multiple sources tell New Times Quayle's likely to run in District 6 (which is much more GOP-friendly than
District 9) and face Schweikert in a primary.

We spoke to Congressman Quayle over the weekend. He says he's yet to make any decision about which seat he'll run for.

Members of Congress aren't required to live in the district they
represent -- they're only required to live in the state they represent. Sinema, for example, doesn't actually live within the
boundaries of District 9.

Whoever wins a Republican primary in
GOP-leaning District 6 is likely to easily win the general election --
and elections to come -- so it's a much more attractive seat for
Republican candidates than District 9, which is fairly evenly split
between Republicans and Democrats.

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Seems like a great fit, since David already represents much of Congressional District 9. Tempe/Scottsdale/Ahwatukee know David well and are inspired by his leadership. He was elected the minority leader of the senate during his first term as senator and has been a fighter for education and workers ever since. He's the best successor to Harry Mitchell. and I can't wait to vote for him.

Aside from Kyrsten Sinema supporting an anti-immigrant bill in the Legislature, she and David share similar policy positions. The differences are, David Schapira:1. was born and lives in the district;2. has waged three grassroots campaigns in a competitive district (and won all three races); and3. already represents a big bite of the district.

We spoke to Congressman Quayle over the weekend. He says he's yet to make any decision about which seat he'll run for.He followed the statement with "Mommy hasn't decided yet - she and Jan are still discussing it"

I am so happy that David is officially running for Congress! He will be the best person to represent the district. He's already represented me so well at the Arizona Legislature, not backing down from the issues he cares about. We need more minds like David's in Congress.

David is my state senator, and I can think of no one better suited to representing the new Congressional District 9. He knows this district like the back of his hand and has personally knocked on the doors of at least 15,000 voters.

He is energetic and a fighter for progressive values. He has the best chance of winning the general election, too.